Research Document - 2010/034
An assessment of benthic habitat impacts and unaccounted mortality in the Atlantic herring purse seine fishery on the northeast coast of Prince Edward Island
By H.P. Benoît and C. LeBlanc
Abstract
In this document, we provide an evaluation of possible benthic habitat impacts and unaccounted mortality in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence fall herring purse seine fishery. Results are based on data collected by at-sea observers in 2004. Purse seines appeared to rarely touch the sea floor in over 100 observed fishing sets. This result is consistent with active avoidance on the part of fishers aiming to prevent net damage. Before catches are brought aboard in this fishery, a small sample of fish is taken by dip net to obtain measurements of fish body size. When a catch is felt to comprise a high proportion of fish of undesirable sizes, it is released entirely. Indicators of post-release survival recorded for 17 released sets suggest that survival was high.
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